Publication Order of Standalone Novels

An American author born and bred, the adventure novelist Katherine Neville has been writing for a number of years now, with her extensive backlog of exciting stories that manage to keep the reader gripped throughout, largely due to her well paced narratives and engaging characters. Having had a rich and varied life, she’s worked in a number of positions during the course of her life, undertaking a variety of roles that have all led to her becoming the well regarded author that she is today. With a long and extensive legacy behind her, it’s easy to see why so many have taken to her work over the years, with more and more discovering her stories everyday.

Early and Personal Life

Born on the fourth of April in 1945, she was brought up in St. Louis in Missouri, where she spent the majority of her childhood taking in experiences from the surrounding environment. Always looking for inspiration to feed her love of both reading and literature, a passion she had from a very early age, she always maintained a strong creative streak throughout. Taking this inspiration into her work, she was soon building the foundations of what was to be a highly successful and extremely lucrative writing career.

Going onto college, she soon graduated, after which she took up a career in the field of computing, something which was relatively new, as she moved to New York City to explore this further. Applying herself to a variety of different crafts and trades she was able to gain insight and experience unlike any other, all of which would soon fed back into her work. With a formal education as well, she was able to apply these skills to her writing later on, creating a far more fully rounded voice for her many readers to be.

Acting as an international consultant for the Algerian government during the 1970s, she soon moved onto Idaho in the late seventies to work on the Department of Energy’s nuclear research site. All this would pave the way for her writing career to be, as she a creative outlet working as a painter and as as model during her time in-between jobs and school. Always learning, she soon would go on to build up her photography skills as well, soon starting her own business, a photography business which she maintained for some years after, even being featured in the Washington Post at one point for her revival of a storied house.
Soon marrying the neuroscientist Karl H. Pribram, she moved to Washington D.C. where they remain together to this day, as she continues to write. Looking after her pets as well, being a keen lover of animals, she is constantly looking for new sources of inspiration and material with which to inspire her next novel. With more books and series set to be released in the near future for her legions of fans worldwide, this looks like something that’s set to continue for some time yet, as she shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Writing Career

The work of Katherine Neville has been translated into a variety of different languages worldwide, with scores of readers from across the globe flocking to her work every day. This is also reflected in her writing as well, as not only do her many of her stories take place upon a global platform, but she is also extremely well traveled, something which is clearly shown in her work. Not only that but her books have also reached the top of the bestseller lists on numerous occasions and in a variety of different countries as well.

Gaining both critical and commercial success, it’s easy to see why so many have taken to both her and her work, creating a style that is unique to her. When readers pick up a Katherine Neville novel they know what they’re getting, but that’s not to say she doesn’t still have a few surprises left with her gift for a good twist at the end of the story. With her career growing from strength-to-strength it appears as if this is a trend that’s set to continue for quite some time, as more and more discover her novels every day.

The Eight

This was the debut novel from Katherine Neville, it being released on the 27th of December in 1988, as it marked her arrival on the literary scene and the world of the mystery conspiracy thriller. Likened to Dan Brown by some reviewers later on, although seen as primarily more upmarket version by a few such as British newspaper The Independent, this clearly shows her roots. Setting up both the style and the tone of what was to follow, this is the perfect introduction point for those looking to get into her work and understand what she’s about.

With two ongoing narratives set centuries apart, one all the way back in 1790 and the other in 1972, this charts two intertwined stories effecting one another over history. In 1972 Catherine ‘Cat’ Velis is a computer expert who’s sent to Algeria on a special assignment, whilst in 1790 the novice nun in training Mireille is staying at Montglane Abbey. Then there’s the ‘Montglane Service’, which is a chess set that’s said to hold unlimited power, a mystery which the both of them have to unravel. Can they get to it before it falls into the wrong hands? What power does it wield? Just who are the eight?

The Magic Circle

Originally published in 1998 through Ballantine Books, this was to be the third book from author Katherine Neville, as it now shows her in a more confident stage with her career fully underway. Offering more of what her fans have come to know and love about her work, it provides a similar ambiance to what came before, despite it being a standalone novel all of its own. With mystery and intrigue waiting round every corner, it was another novel of hers that was, once again, almost impossible for her readers to put down.

Ariel Behn becomes the sole heir to her family legacy after her cousin is slain by an assassin, a legacy which she must now protect at all costs. Entrusted with a collection of manuscripts, she is taken on a worldwide trail of conspiracy, intrigue and even murder, as she attempts to unravel an ancient enigma, From the Roman Empire at its height, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, this particular adventure spans throughout the ages for Ariel as she travels far and wide to uncover the truth. Who would kill for these manuscripts? Can she remain alive long enough to find out? What is the secret behind the magic circle?

Rather than announce an upcoming book, we're paying tribute to our most popular author of the year from a survey we did. That author is Louise Penny, who writes the Inspector Gamache books. Trust me when I say this - this is a tremendous serious about a Chief Inspector in Quebec. Buy it for yourself, buy it as a gift - but get the first book in the series, Still Life and see why it's our most popular book series. Read more about it.

Recommendations

Every 2 weeks we send out an e-mail with 6-8 Book Recommendations. We'll base this on various factors for example "If you like Jack Reacher..." or "If you like short stories in the horror genre". Insert your e-mail below to start getting these recommendations.

MISSING A BOOK?

I do my best to make sure the book lists are complete and current, but due to human or machine error while attempting to keep 3000+ authors up to date, the occasional book can be missed or will be listed under an alternate title. If you see one missing just send me an e-mail below. Thanks!

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Featured Series

Our character of the month is Inspector Armand Gamache. We know people are looking for gifts for others this time of year - so make it easy. Get someone hooked on our most popular series! Seriously I don't mean to beat a dead horse but try this series out!

Featured Author

Our author of the month is the Canadian author Louise Penny We’re paying tribute to Louise this month. Her Gamache series is simply incredible and each book just gets better. If you haven’t read it yet – start now!

Did You Know…

Before becoming an author, Brian Freeman was a director of marketing and public relations at the international law firm of Faegre & Benson.